After decidedly mixed reviews of Seth MacFarlane's performance as the host of the Academy Awards last year (He's subversive! He's a misogynist! He's a subversive misogynist!) , Oscar producers have returned to the Bottomless Well of Previous Hosts and selected Ellen DeGeneres to take the reins of the 2014 broadcast.

"I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time," DeGeneres says in a statement. "You know what they say — the third time's the charm." She last hosted in 2007.

After seeking out edgier hosts in recent years — in addition to MacFarlane, Eddie Murphy was supposed to host in 2012 but dropped out when producer Brett Ratner was pressured to resign after using a gay slur — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences seem to be seeking a respite from controversy.

"There are few stars today who have Ellen's gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity," producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron say. "She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are."